Minnesota School Coach Mike Ryan, 48, Dies Following a Confrontation at a Bar

St. Paul Fire medics responded to various calls reporting an assault at a downtown bar and arrived to find Mike Ryan lying on the ground with a head injury.

48-year-old Mike Ryan was killed following an incident at a bar in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. Ryan was a girls hockey coach at the Bloomington-Jefferson High School.

The victim was involved in an altercation at the front steps of the bar located on the 300 block of Washington Street. When medical personnel arrived on the scene, Ryan was lying on the pavement with an apparent head injury.

An officer looking over his shoulder. | Source: Pexels/ Rosemary Ketchum

DID NOT SURVIVE

Ryan was immediately transported to Regions, where he was admitted in critical condition. Unfortunately, the hockey coach did not survive the fatal injuries. He died on Sunday afternoon.

The Jaguar Girls Hockey Team confirmed that Ryan had passed away in a statement posted on their Twitter page. The statement includes a moving tribute that reads:

"With great sadness, we announce the passing of our head coach, Mike Ryan. He will be dearly missed by his wife and daughters and the Bloomington hockey community."

CAUSE OF DEATH

The assault that resulted in Ryan's death is currently under investigation. The exact cause of his death is determined by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office said to aid the investigation.

The video shows Ryan flying through the air before he hit the concrete on the ground and hitting his head.

The authorities have identified the other man who was involved in the altercation as Ryan Whisler, 43. He has been taken into custody and charged with second-degree unintentional murder.

VERBAL CONFRONTATION

Reports of the circumstances surrounding the assault have surfaced since Ryan's death. The criminal complaint against Whisler provides more details saying that the altercation began in the men's bathroom.

Ryan was agitated by Whisler's behavior as he was displaying aggressive behavior and took inappropriate photos of himself. Eventually, the hockey coach said something as the complaint says:

"[Ryan] called Whisler out for his behavior in the men's bathroom as they were leaving the bar, which led to a verbal confrontation."

FLYING THROUGH THE AIR

Upon reviewing the CCTV footage in the bar, the authorities discovered that Whisler grabbed Ryan's shirt after he confronted him. The victim was then punched in the face by Whisler.

Whisler then pushed the hockey coach down the stairs. The video shows Ryan flying through the air before he hit the concrete on the ground and hitting his head, sustaining the fatal injury that killed him.

The Minnesota sports community is not only grieving Ryan's death at the moment as the former NFL coach, Dennis Green passed away after he suffered a heart attack.

Green held the head-coach title at Northwestern from 1981-85 and went on to coach the Minnesota Vikings for a decade from 1992-2001. He ended his career at the Arizona Cardinals. He passed away at the age of 67.

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